Trunki suitcase businessman to graduate alongside University of Bath students

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An award-winning entrepreneur who graduates from the University of Bath on Wednesday 1 July will embark on his business career with inspiration from the founder of Trunki suitcases, Rob Law MBE, who will be awarded an honorary degree in the same ceremony (3pm).

Mr Law will receive his degree of Doctor of Engineering at Bath Abbey, in recognition of his exceptional achievements as an inventor and entrepreneur, building a company which turns over £7.5m a year, with a Trunki suitcase being sold every minute.

The Bristol-based company exports to over 97 countries, with the majority of manufacturing happening in the UK.

Mr Law will address the audience of graduates and their families from the University’s School of Management, including Tom Dewhurst, a Business Administration graduate who is already running his own start-up.

Tom has created Ordable http://ordable.co.uk, an app which enables users to browse menus, order and pay for food and drinks at cafes, reaping loyalty rewards.

Tom successfully secured funding for his venture in the University’s own version of the BBC’s Dragon’s Den, with investment from University alumni.

The funding enabled Tom and his team to develop and publish an app and to purchase the necessary equipment to set up a trial in the Engine Shed in Bristol – with more sites opening across Bath soon.

Speaking ahead of the ceremony, Tom said: “I’ve taken part in many of the student enterprise initiatives on campus, including Dragons’ Den, and it’s been a fantastic way for me to turn my ideas into reality.

“I’m really looking forward to hearing from Rob Law. His achievements in business are inspirational for graduating entrepreneurs and it will be interesting to learn from his experiences.”

At the ceremony Professor Veronica Hope Hailey, Dean of the School of Management, will give the oration for Rob Law. She will say: “Rob’s determination and success are inspiring, but all the more remarkable given the fact that he has cystic fibrosis. He has only relatively recently spoken publicly about living with the condition and his twin sister who lost her life to the illness when they were 15.”

Ahead of the ceremony Rob Law said: “I am honoured and thrilled to be receiving this award from the University of Bath and very much looking forward to the ceremony and speaking to a room full of budding entrepreneurs and business leaders as they embark on the next stage of their careers.”

Mr Law is patron of the Sixty-Five Roses Club, designed for donors who support the Cystic Fibrosis Trust. The name comes from a small child’s attempt to pronounce cystic fibrosis.